MARHABA! My name is Andrea Grimaldo, a rising senior, and future Valedictorian of YES Prep Northbrook's Class of 2019! I'd like to start off by thanking you all for my previous summer abroad in Amman, Jordan!

My previous summer in Jordan was truly an inimitable experience. Drinking fresh brewed Arabic tea with my sweet host family, having late night conversations with my young host mother as we soothe baby Tutu to sleep. I was able to study Arabic, a language sounding like wind rustling through leaves, enhancing my skills from daily uber rides to interviewing local Jordanians on the topic of global affairs. I formed close friendships in the span of a month, which will last a lifetime. I remember us having late night desert adventures at Wadi Rum, being sleep deprived because we wanted to spend as much time together as we possibly could. In addition, I learned about the rich history of Jordan; the Kingdom of Refugees, hearing what it means to be a refugee while being three miles away from the Syrian border. Returning with an altered perspective, building my social skills and yearn for social change, my aspiration for fostering cross-border relationships has STRENGTHENED.

THIS SUMMER, I have been offered the opportunity to attend a summer abroad in Morocco: “Mentoring Youth & Social Awareness.” However, due to my family's financial situation, I need your help towards making this dream possible! YES, YOU! If you so generously donate today, you'll surely impact lives abroad, as you will enable me to mentor underprivileged youth at a US embassy-sponsored summer camp, meet with government leaders, and collaborate with peers to raise social awareness on education, the environment, and a range of social issues. Additionally, you will grant me the privilege to practice daily Arabic language instruction (in both Darija and Modern Standard Arabic) as I explore into the rich traditions of Moroccan culture.

As a seventeen-year-old, I am confident that I want to major in INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, in order to work as an American Ambassador while focusing on the changing political, economic and cultural relations within the international system of the modern era.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT informs young adults how to utilize their advocacy to fight against social inequality. Many adolescents today are not informed about this privilege, therefore inevitably hindering the development and progress we seek to happen. However, YOU HAVE THE POWER to change this! Emerging from a low-income community, minds are to be spoken, as the voice of youth is crucial towards facilitating connections between present day and the future of tomorrow as we are told to be innovators of this generation.

Returning to the US, I hope to gain an enhanced perspective on global change, unlocking doors which I believed were forever sealed. Immersion in a foreign country will offer what is golden; an unsurpassable experience that will allow me to grow as an individual, eliminating a fixed mind, rather promoting a growth mindset. Submerged in a culture, distinct from my own with students seeking change, equates to an antidote that will cure society’s murky outlook on how impacting the youth of today truly is. Often, youth is referred to as “children”, undermining the stance we take to initiate global change. This despair that lingers in society can be demolished through youth empowerment as we facilitate action against social inequity and encourage relationships abroad, while simultaneously appreciating a culture Americans lack exposure to.

In order to take on this grandiose opportunity, my goal must be reached by JUNE 2nd.*I encourage you to donate TODAY, as you will impact many, rather than a single individual. Thank you.